A bridge replacement on Highway 24, north of Judge Orr Road, is one of the first projects that will receive funding through the Obama administration’s stimulus plan, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.Bob Wilson, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said the project will replace a bridge originally built in 1932. Two other bridges were built the same year, but only one qualifies as structurally unsound, Wilson said. The other bridges will not be replaced at this time.Construction will start in the fall of 2009, with an estimated completion date in the summer of 2010, Wilson said. A paved detour route will be built as part of the project to keep traffic flowing in both directions during the construction.The $6-million project also includes defining water runoff channels. Andre Brackin from the El Paso County Department of Transportation said the county and CDOT have been working together on the plans for 10 years – and waiting for available funding.Because the Falcon area has grown, greater runoff is coming from a retention pond north of Eastonville Road, Brackin said. The runoff area is poorly defined and the volume has increased, which, Brackin said, regularly causes flooding on Blue Gill Road, 1,000 feet east of Highway 24. “Anytime you have a road that overtops in small storms, it’s a problem,” he said.Brackin also said the improvements will define the runoff channel and direct the water to Drake Lake, near the Meadow Lake Airport.Wilson said other CDOT projects in the Pikes Peak Region receiving AARA funding include widening 1-25 from N. Academy Boulevard to Interquest Parkway to three lanes in each direction.As more funding becomes available, future projects on CDOT’s list include milling and paving a 3-mile stretch on Powers Boulevard, from Bradley to Milton Proby Parkway, and adding acceleration and declaration lanes on Highway 115, near Ft. Carson.The AARA funding is also available to smaller government entities, such as the water districts in the area.Larry Bishop, Woodmen Hills Metropolitan District manager, said he has applied to the State Revolving Fund to tap into ARRA monies. He is seeking funding for a filter plant station, new wells and a wastewater treatment plant.He said projects are prioritized on a scale of one to six, with one being the highest priority. “All of our projects are in category six,” Bishop said. He is trying to get the filter plant and the wells moved into category two so that next year they will move up to category one and receive funding. Together, the two projects would total nearly $2 million, Bishop said.
